Wyoming is pretty much synonymous with rodeo. Ranch kids learn to rope and ride right along with walking and talking. If they take up a particular rodeo specialty some grow to become among the best in the world. And this year there is a remarkable showing in the accomplishments of Wyoming pro rodeo athletes. There are five contestants who have spurred and spun to Top Ten positions in the world standings (The top 15 are awarded spots at the finals). The state tourism office has sponsorship agreements with eight pro rodeo athletes who call Wyoming home and six will appear at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo – rodeo’s Superbowl beginning Thursday in Las Vegas.
“I’ve never seen so many cowboys from our state represented in virtually every event. It’s a fun time to be a fan of Wyoming rodeo,” said Gene Bryan, tourism board chair. Bryan, of Cody, is a past executive director of Cheyenne Frontier Days and served as a GM of the national finals when it first moved to Las Vegas from Oklahoma City in 1985.
The Pendleton, Oregon Round-Up – September 12-15 – served as an important stepping stone for Wyoming’s rodeo contingent this year. Gillette saddle bronc rider Chet Johnson won Pendleton (on stock contractor Ike Sankey’s horse ‘Domino Theory’) and Johnson’s money earnings ($11,000) in Pendleton sent him up to the number twelve spot in world standings. “I had never ridden that horse but I sure wanted to. It was a dream come true to have him for the finals at Pendleton,” said Johnson. He is 13th in the world standings heading into the national finals.
Jason Miller, a steer wrestler from Lance Creek, needed a fairly fat paycheck to solidify his chances for a second trip to the national finals. Pendleton worked out to the tune of $6,400. “I haven’t looked at the standings all year but knew I needed to be at $60,000 to get to the finals,” said Miller. His total rang to just over $62,000 after Pendleton. Miller’s big jump in 2007 came with a co-championship at Cheyenne Frontier Days. He heads to the national finals in the 13th spot.
Bull rider Kanin Asay of Powell scored successfully in Pendleton including a 90-point-ride in one round. Asay is just 21 years old and will be attending the finals for the first time. Asay recently took top honors at the Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo in Denver finishing with two, 90-point rides. He was the Wyoming high school bull riding champion in 2004. Asay will be joined in Las Vegas by Bobby Welsh of Gillette who is currently in the tenth position. Welsh was second in the average at the national finals last year in the bull riding competition and was the only rider to make the 8-second buzzer in round nine. Asay has been steady at #2 since his near record-setting $36,000 in winnings during the Fourth of July holiday period known as ‘Cowboy Christmas’ in the pro rodeo world.
Carpenter’s Brandie Halls is tenth in the world standings and will be mounting her barrel racing horse Slim for a fourth time at the national finals.
Kelly Timberman, the world champion bareback rider in 2004, is in the #8 spot in the world standings. The Mills, Wyoming resident has a history of success in Vegas and looks to make another run at a title this year.
Wyoming team roper Jhett Johnson secured a spot at the national finals by winning the Wrangler Pro Rodeo Tour stop in Omaha in September. The Casper heelers’ horse trailer is completely wrapped in Wyoming scenery and other attention-drawing photography. “I get comments everywhere I go. It’s been great to have the state behind us,” said Johnson. Jhett finished the regular season in the #10 position of the world standings for pro rodeo heelers.
The cowboy marketing program adopted by Wyoming Travel & Tourism is in its third year of existence and other team members include bareback rider Andy Martinez of Pavillion along with U.S. Air Force Captain, and bullfighter, Jeremy Sparks who teaches ROTC at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Captain Sparks is the only person in the pro rodeo ranks serving full-time in the military.
“The ‘Cowboy State’ has a world champion contender in every event except tie-down roping in 2007, and that's a credit to their abilities and competitive spirit. The neat thing is that they are not only great athletes but they are top-quality people,” said Bryan.
In addition to the human element from Wyoming, several horses and bulls competing at the national finals this year (Dec. 5 -15) are from Wyoming-based breeding programs. Four Wyoming stock contractors have brought bulls, bareback horses, and broncs to buck out of the Thomas & Mack Center chutes on the University of Nevada - Las Vegas campus.
The state tourism office is hosting a breakfast in Las Vegas with Governor Dave Freudenthal, and First Lady Nancy, on Friday to honor Wyoming’s rodeo contestants competing for national titles. There will be daily updates from Las Vegas available on the Wyoming Travel & Tourism website:
www.wyomingtourism.org
(Journalist Advisory: Interviews with any, or all, pro rodeo athletes who are a part of the team sponsored by Wyoming Travel & Tourism can be arranged by contacting Chuck Coon at: chuck.coon@visitwyo.gov or PH: 307.630.4004. Wyoming focused still photography from the aforementioned breakfast and first three rounds of the national finals can also be obtained by reaching Coon)
